A letter from the editor: Happy 5th birthday, 9Honey

Do you remember back to 2016?

There are times it feels like yesterday, and days it feels like decades ago.

It was when the world was just starting to hear about this new woman in Prince Harry's life, Meghan Markle — an American actress from a TV show called Suits.

It was a time when Hillary Clinton was being touted as a potential new US president and the year that love died for all of us — Brangelina fell apart.

One other thing happened in 2016: Our website 9Honey was born.

Just as Meghan, Hillary and Angelina have changed in the last five years (and gosh, haven't they all been through a journey), so has 9Honey.

We started off as small and now 3.5 million Australian women come to us every month for content.

Today is a special day for us. It's our birthday, and to celebrate turning five we have looked at the five reasons why Aussie women come to us: We are informative, we are trusted, we are entertaining, we are inclusive, and we are here for you.

We recently expanded our offering for you with 9Honey Parenting and 9Honey Pets — to add to Kitchen, Style, Royals, Travel, Celebrity and Coach.

And today we announce our new columnists that will focus on health and wellness, travel and consumer affairs.

Miss Universe Australia 2020 Maria Thattil joins 9Honey as a regular columnist, covering topics that are close to her heart.

"To write for a platform like 9Honey means my words are going to have reach and impact," says Thattil. "I can't wait to tell different Australian stories that maybe haven't been told in the mainstream before, or experiences that people thought they couldn't talk about.

"The biggest message I want to drive home is that we should celebrate, and have an appreciation for, differences, no matter what that looks like, because there is so much beauty, authenticity and power in acknowledging the things that make you different."

READ MORE: Maria Thattil asks 'how could I feel Australian when I didn't see myself represented?'

Dietician Susie Burrell will also join the team with a focus on wellness, nutrition and putting your health first, and 9Honey will also introduce hip-pocket hero 'Judge Jo' who will be road testing consumer goods, to show you what to buy and what to avoid.

It's an exciting time ahead for 9Honey!

Happy birthday, Honey!